BLM Front Range Resource Advisory Council meets May 8 and 9 in the San Luis Valley (04-26-12)

CAÑON CITY, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management’s Front Range Resource Advisory Council will meet May 8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Orient Land Trust,Villa Grove, Colo., and May 9 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 710 Mariposa Street, Alamosa, Colo.The meeting is open to the public with time for public comment scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 9. Agenda topics include:• Geothermal energy resources in the San Luis Valley• Special Recreation Permits – what they are• Visual Resource Management• BLM’s partnerships with the Orient Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy• Updates from each Field Office

The Front Range RAC is a 15-member group of citizens appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. The council provides recommendations to the BLM’s Front Range District regarding the management of public lands within the Royal Gorge and San Luis Valley Field Offices. It is one of three RACs that advise BLM Colorado on public lands issues.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.